Game #13 at Boston Cannons

Fans can watch the action live on ESPN3.com or at 11:30 p.m. on SportsTime Ohio.

Game Preview

The Machine travels to Boston to face the defending MLL Champions, the Boston Cannons, for the first time this season. The Cannons feature the league’s second highest scoring offense and the league’s second best defense.

Last Time Out

Last weekend the Ohio Machine traveled to Rochester, NY, in search of a series sweep against the Rattlers. The Machine fell behind three goals early to the Rattlers on goals from attackman Kevin Leveille and midfielder Matt Striebel. At the 10:33 mark, Machine attackman Chazz Woodson scored the first goal of the game for Ohio. The Rattlers responded by scoring two more goals to end the first quarter with a 5-1 lead. Woodson struck two more times in the second quarter but Rochester took a 7-3 lead into the half. Machine midfielder Kiel Matisz scored two out of the first three goals in the third quarter to cut the Rattlers lead to down to three. With 12:41 to go in the game, Woodson scored his fifth goal of the game to make it 11-9 Rochester. The Rattlers seemed to put the game away when Striebel notched his second two-point goal of the game, but Ohio bounced back with three straight goals, including a two-point goal from Connor Martin. Despite a flurry of goals at the end of the game, the Machine fell to the Rattlers 14-13. Woodson led the Machine with five points and one assist. Rookie attackman Steele Stanwick added three assists in the loss.

Player Notes

#1 (A) Chazz Woodson – Against the Rochester Rattlers, Woodson set his career high for goals in a game with five and points in a game with six. Woodson’s previous career high for points in a game was five, which he only managed twice, once in 2006 and once in 2008.

#26 (M) Matt Casey – On the season Casey has a career high 10 goals with a shooting percentage of .345%. Casey’s shooting percentage ranks him first on the team among players who have more than 20 shots and fifth in the league among midfielders who have more than 20 shots.

#36 (A) Billy Eisenreich – In the fourth quarter against the Rochester Rattlers, Eisenreich scored his first career MLL goal. That goal makes Eisenreich the sixth Machine rookie to score a point for the team this season. Eisenreich also picked up his first career assist.

#88 (M) Connor Martin – For the first time in his career Martin has registered a two-point goal in back-to-back contests. Against the Rochester Rattlers Martin had his third hat-trick of the season and had five points for the third time in his career.

Team Notes

Golden Goalie Play– So far this season the goalie duo of Stefan Schroder and Brian Phipps have had a combined save percentage of .467% and a goals against average of 14.17. In the five games after the All-star break the Machine have drastically improved its numbers in goal, posting a save percentage of .539% and a goals against average of 12.60.

Franchise First– Saturday’s game against the Boston Cannons marks the first time in franchise history that the Machine will face Cannons. Ohio and Boston are also the only two teams in the MLL who have not yet faced each other this season.

Familiarity with Beantown– Four current members of the Machine will face their former team when Ohio takes on Boston. Both midfielder Matt Casey and attackman Jim Connolly were on the Cannons roster last year. Casey appeared in nine games for the cannons and notched two assists. Connolly only appeared in two games for the Cannons but scored his first career goal with the team. Attackman Chazz Woodson and defenseman Ray Megill have also been members of the Cannons throughout their careers. Woodson played for the Cannons from 2006-07 and scored 26 goals in two seasons and Megill spent three seasons with the Cannons and saw action in 28 games. Midfielder Matt Messina spent time with Boston in 2012 but did not appear in a game.

Coach’s Thoughts

Spoiler Roll: “We don’t want to end their season but we wantto go in there to win and play with pride. Our guys have something to prove to the lacrosse world. Boston has a bunch of great guys but we are going to line up and try to win the game for our organization.”

Chazz Woodson: “One thing about Chazz is he doesn’t have a big ego – he wants to win and make sure the team does well. He had to make some sacrifices for the team when the rookies came in and changed his style a bit for the better of the team but has blended well throughout the course of the season.”

Steele Stanwick: “He has gotten better and better every week. He is trying to understand the flow from the pro stand point with the shot clock and the pace of the game. He has become a great threat for us who gives us more dimension to our offense.”

Looking back on 2012 season: “It’s not where you’re standing but what direction you’re going. Our defense has gotten a lot better – the timing of our slides, regrouping, seeing the ball better. Our offensive guys have gotten to know each other and have come together as a team. The team has been great all year with leadership and supportiveness. It is one of the best teams I’ve ever been around as far as team chemistry and support of each other.”

Scouting Boston

The 2011 MLL Champion Boston Cannons began the season 4-0 but stumbled in their next seven games, going 2-5 during that stretch. The Cannons may have found their stride after keeping their playoff hopes alive with a 16-13 win over the Chesapeake Bayhawks. The Cannons found themselves down 9-8 at halftime but came out strong in the second half. An illegal body check personal foul by Bayhawks’ defenseman Tim Kaiser gave the Cannons the early extra-man opportunity and attackman Kevin Buchanan took advantage with his third powerplay goal of the season. Attackman Ryan Boyle found Ari Sussman on two straight goals and Buchanan scored one of his own to give the Cannons a 12-9 lead. Cannons All-star Paul Rabil put away the game with a two-point goal to start the fourth quarter. Bayhawks’ midfielder Matt Abbot scored two straight goals at the end of the game but it was not enough and the Cannons won their seventh game of the season.

With their win over the Bayhawks the Cannons remained tied with the Rattlers for the last playoff spot but currently hold the tie-breaker. The Cannons own the league’s second highest scoring offense and have six players with 15 or more goals. Midfielder Paul Rabil leads the league with 61 points (22G, 34A) and attackman Matt Poskay leads the league in goals scored with 32. The Cannons are led in goal by Jordan Burke. Burke is first in the league in saves with 159, second in goals against average with 10.88 and second in save percentage with .551%.

Up Next

The Machine will play its last game of the season against the Boston Cannons on “Fan Appreciation Night”. The game includes several phenomenal promotions including $1 Bratwurst, post-game fireworks presented by Bud Light and 19 lucky fans will also be able to win game-worn jerseys right from the players after the game. For tickets to the Machine’s last game of the season call (614) 754-1973 or visit www.theohiomachine.com/tickets.